Republicans Democrats Fannie Mae Freddie Mac

Volunteer for McCain Palin

It's coming down to the last weeks of the election. The best way to help the McCain/Palin ticket is to volunteer. Contact your local McCain Victory Office or make calls to battleground states from your home with the Online Phone Bank. This is the time that matters most. For Senator McCain to win the White House his campaign needs volunteers making phone calls and knocking on doors. Please take the time to make even just a few phone calls a day. From home or from a Victory Office please volunteer, and be a part of history.

The Presidential Debate and the Bracelet Moment

Senator McCain talked, as he has previously, about Matthew Stanley and his family of Wolfboro, NH, and the bracelet Senator McCain wears in his honor.

Senator Obama reading the name off 'his bracelet' was tacky, and poorly done.

The story of John McCain, Matthew Stanley, and the bracelet.

John McCain Bold Leadership

With the markets in turmoil and a bill and a bailout package up for debate in Congress, Senator McCain has suspended his campaign and returned to Washington to work on the bill. Last night prior to Senator McCain's decision to return to Washington ABC's George Stephanopoulos reported,

ABC News' George Stephanopoulos reports: If Republican presidential candidate Sen. John McCain doesn't vote for the Bush administration's $700 billion economic bailout plan, some Republican and Democratic congressional leaders tell ABC News the plan won't pass.

"If McCain doesn't come out for this, it's over," a Top House Republican tells ABC News.

A Democratic leadership source says that White House Chief of Staff Josh Bolten has been told that
Democratic votes will not be there if McCain votes no -- that there is no deal if McCain doesn't go along.

With the ball in Senator McCain's court, and concerns about the President's current proposal, Senator McCain is heading back to Washington. The debates and future campaign events are in limbo, as this bold decision has put a priority on the economic package.

Bold Leadership from John McCain

Is McCain/Palin In Obama's Head?

Obama and his campaign have been showing signs of having been rattled by the VP pick of Palin. However, there were signs before the VP selection that the Obama campaign could be rattled. First, the celebrity ad. Outrage, and cries of foul abounded over an ad that basically poked fun at Obama's celebrity and his legions of euphoric supporters. Second, Saddleback. Not the event itself, but the cries of cheating that came from the Obama campaign. It couldn't be that McCain outperformed Obama there must have been foul play. So the Obama campaign screams cheater because Senator McCain wasn't hermetically sealed in in a sound proof pod, or 'cone of silence'. Their reaction was both foolish, and a sign that even minor victories by the McCain campaign could rattle them. However, the pre-Palin kicker is that someone convinced Senator Obama to give a mediocre acceptance speech. What is the one area where Senator Obama has a decisive edge? Speech making; and he under-performed. How that happened should be studied in political science classes in years to come, because forfeiting a strength in any arena is flat crazy.

Then comes the VP picks. Obama doesn't want Clinton, and chooses a candidate to help him appear more experienced so he picks Biden. McCain supporters chuckle as Senator Biden is a legendary 'Gaffe Machine'. Everyone else yawns. Good guy, fairly safe pick, but no one really cares. Then it's McCain's turn. Everyone is predicting Romney or Pawlenty, both safe choices, but again not terribly exciting. The McCain campaign keeps the pick completely secret, and then Palin explodes on the scene. She gave a good opening speech, but there were a lot of questions about her still to be addressed. The Obama campaign immediately took a shot at her, but then retracted the statement as harsh and unnecessary. The media loses its mind. Certainly that's not the Obama camps fault, but their obvious Obama bias and hysterical reaction to Palin does not help their favorite candidate. Clumsily the Obama campaign chimed in with cracks about her experience as a small town mayor, and dismissed her experience as a sitting Governor. This opened the door for Palin to clock Obama on his community organizer experience during her acceptance speech, which was such a powerful speech that it made the media and Obama look foolish for their attacks.

Since then the Obama campaign has struggled to get its bearings. First, Obama acted horrified that Palin challenged his community organizer experience, when he had really set himself up. Then his campaign had a meltdown over Palin's comment that she had pulled the plug on the 'Bridge to No Where'. Instead of criticizing Palin's original support for a different version of the bridge, or questioning what that money should have been spent on after the project was dead, the Obama campaign instead freaked out. They called Palin a liar, they called the McCain/Palin ticket corrupt, yet in the end Palin did pull the plug on the 'Bridge to No Where' and the Obama campaign's over-reaction looked foolish and unstable. Then comes Senator Obama's 'Lipstick on a pig' comment. One can argue intent all day long, however, there is little argument that the comment was incredibly stupid. Particularly, since in the same day he made another comment about a 'stinking fish', and another campaign member also referenced lipstick in a less than flattering way. For someone who is typically graceful in his use of language, "The fierce urgency of now", "We are not red states or blue states, we are the United States", talking about lipstick on pigs after Palin made a lipstick joke during her speech is at best sloppy and out of character.

Today the fumbling continues. An ad criticizing Senator McCain's out of date attire from 1982, and challenging his apparent internet ineptitude has to be one of the weakest attack ads put out in years. Maybe that helps him somehow with the youth vote, but he already has the youth vote. Most people over the age of 30 know at some point in their lives they've worn a silly outfit, and/or had a bad hair day. As for lack of internet experience, who cares? It's an odd argument that I can't imagine helps the campaign. The Obama campaign has abandoned their 'new politics' argument for random and silly attacks. It's not just that they're struggling since the Palin pick and the convention, its that they're panicking. They're only down a few points in the polls, the real problem isn't the numbers it's that the McCain/Palin ticket has them completely flustered.

Is McCain/Palin in Obama's Head?

McCain Palin Reform Ticket Tackle Change

Reform: 1.the improvement or amendment of what is wrong, corrupt, unsatisfactory, etc.: social reform; spelling reform.

Change: 1.to make the form, nature, content, future course, etc., of (something) different from what it is or from what it would be if left alone: to change one's name; to change one's opinion; to change the course of history.

From Dictionary.com

---

There is a difference in the promise of a change versus the promise of a reform. First, a reform ticket acknowledges the good of the initial structure, and seeks to route out what has corrupted it. The promise of change simply says things will be different; possibly better, possibly worse, but definitely different. Change lacks specifics, reform seeks the goal of fixing the problems.

While reform includes some change, the basic promise differs, and this is evident in the two campaigns. The Obama campaign promises to be different than President Bush. Different how? In party affiliation, in political philosophy, a broad sweeping promise to not be 'him'. However, the McCain campaign says through reform they'll fix Washington. Washington is 'broken', but it is not inherently bad. The government structures of America are quite remarkable, however, with power comes corruption and the McCain/Palin ticket seeks to rectify problems of waste and corruption. The 'reform mantle' take a sliver of the 'change argument' and focus it on specifics. The idea of change is often appealing, but change can be good and it can be bad. Simply promising not to be 'that guy' is not concrete plan for what type of change one seeks.

McCain Palin Reform Ticket Tackle Change

Bill Clinton John McCain Endorsement?

Sure sounds like an endorsement. Certainly not a reach to see McCain as Clinton approved.

Bill Clinton Endorses John McCain Sort of

Biden Obama's VP Pick

So Senator Biden is the pick; good choice. As mentioned in previous posts during the NH primaries Senator Biden and Senator McCain were the only two candidates to talk about Iraq in detail. They both deserve credit for that. Obviously this is why Biden was picked. Senator Obama needs some help on foreign policy, which he hope he can get from Biden. An interesting wrinkle to this pick is that Senator Biden has said numerous times that Senator Obama is not prepared / not qualified. In fact at his event in New Hampshire at the end of his talk he said (paraphrased), 'If you decide not to vote for me, I hope you choose some one with experience. These are difficult times and we need someone who knows what they're doing.'

I agree. His statement was a pretty clear hat tip to Senator Clinton, who once again got snubbed by the Obama camp by not being vetted, and apparently did not even receiving a courtesy phone call. However, the statement holds just as well for Obama v. McCain. McCain doesn't need a VP who will help him when tested on foreign policy. Don't believe me just listen to Senator Biden...

Will Biden Help Obama With His Homework?

Humor as a Remedy for Hubris

Senator McCain's sense of humor has been both an asset and a liability over the years. It is certainly part of his basic appeal, and it is one of the reasons he relates so well at town hall meetings as his humor creates an immediate connection with the audience. His detractors will note that some of his jokes have been inapprporiate, and in some cases that's true, hence his humor as liability. It can also cause problems because in print, jokes often don't come across the way they do in person. For instance, during the primaries Senator McCain jokingly called a student who asked him a somewhat inappropriate question 'a little jerk' (clip below). There was quite a buzz in the papers until people actually saw the clip, and it was quite evident that he was joking.

So now comes the humorous and sarcastic McCain ad The One. In this case humor turns out to be the perfect remedy for an over-inflated ego. It's hard not see lines like, "We are the ones we've been waiting for" or "a light will shine down from somewhere" as flat out funny. To add to this Obama's reaction is priceless. His stern condemnation of the ads 'juvenile' just shows his inability to laugh at himself. You know that if you make a joke at Senator McCain's expense he'll likely be the first one to laugh (as he has done numerous times when teased about his age). On the other hand, Senator Obama blew it by taking this joke and himself so seriously.

The One


WMUR - Little Jerk


Humor as a Remedy for Hubris

Political Links

Here are some interesting links from articles written this week...
Gray Lady fighting dirty against McCain campaign? - NYT Bribe?
Democrats and Our Enemies - By Joe Lieberman
McCain Press Release - Senator Obama And National Security
What Me Mullah? Obama and Iran
Cap and Trade McCain Climate Change Plan
Obama supporters over the top Clinton criticisms

Also, some McCain supporters have a variety of interesting blogs around the web...
Conservative voters
Moderate and independent voters
Jewish Voters
Blue Dog Democrats
California Voters

---

Finally, some random links...

Bassoon Profiler Van Hoesen/Hunt Oboe Gouge Machine Oboe Gouger Dog Skin Dog Lawn Spot

Volunteer to Sort Blogs

If anyone is interested in sorting/indexing blogs through del.icio.us so that we can guide comment volunteers to appropriate blogs please drop me an email at kmorrison55 at gmail.com. I'll give you a step by step on how to sort and tag pages using del.icio.us, an excellent task for those who like to surf the web. Thanks.

McCain Wrap Up

The first McCarnival for McCain ….. from McCainBlogs

Some people are saying they need a reason to vote for McCain. Well, if you are looking for a reason you can find several at Sanity102. Malia writes Give me a reason to vote for McCain, how’s this? She then cites several excellent reasons including his stance on entitlement programs, earmark and pork barrel spending and what I consider the most important reasons, our troops and the Global War on Terror.

If you need an enthusiastic reminder of why you are excited that John McCain will, in all likelihood, be our next Commander in Chief, then you might want to check out Colecurtis The McCain Monitor’s post titled: This Video Clip Never Ceases To Amaze But Inspire Me…He Is Still Here For A Reason. Vicki plays a video that most of us have seen before, but its good to see it again. She reminds us that sometimes we lose sight of the man when we get wrapped up in the politics and oration connected with a campaign. She gives us a reminder of who John McCain, the man, is. ‘Then from out of the crowd you hear a soft but confident voice …. ‘. Go read the rest.
Matt has The ad that is going to win the election. posted at McCainiac. He reminds us of the resistance that Churchill faces when he stood his ground against the Nazis. Its a good reminder of why we need to stand our ground against radical Islamic extremism.

The Marathon Pundit takes a hard look at Obama’s legislative record while he was an Illinois State Senator. In his post Obama’s state legislative record–he got a lot of help provides information on Obama’s starmaker, Emil Jones.

Fausta’s blog has a rather frightening comparison of the man Obama and the man McCain in The Great Non Sequitur. Do you really know who Obama is? What does Obama really offer us as opposed to what he says he offers us? Fausta has some thoughts and facts on that. Its pretty sobering.

The Median Sib gives a passionate and personal argument for why she hopes John McCain is the one who answers that now famous 3 a.m. phone call. In her post Clinton, McCain, Obama: Who do you want for president? she explains why she feels McCain has the integrity, experience, wisdom and courage to deal with whatever is on the other end of that phone call.

Pat at . . . With Both Hands writes a screenplay based on the tete-a-tete between John McCain and a New York Times reporter who apparently was trying to get an angry reaction from McCain. You remember the incident that was played repeatedly as McCain losing his temper. It was a non-starter. Pat plays it out as John McCain Beat the Press or A Man for All Snakes on a Plane

New York for McCain share the McCain profile on 60 Minutes…. Its really is a great profile and well worth watching and sharing with others.

You can find The First 5 of the Top 10 Reasons to be Leary of Barack Obama at the McCain Jewish Coalition of Illinois blog. This article is written from the perspective of why the Jewish community should be leary of Obama. Of course I can think of reasons for most communities to be leery of Obama. The reasons cited by Alan Weisz in this post are certainly applicable to all of us who are Jewish and Christian. Just as Neville Chamberlain believed he could talk to and work with the Nazis, Obama believes he can talk to, reason with and work with the Islamofascists. That naiveté is dangerous for us in the West in particular and for the world as a whole.

Lee Vogler offers us a very passionate and personal post in which he explains What John McCain Means to Me. Lee is a twenty-year-old who describes himself as a political guru (among other things). He uses his blog, Lee Vogler’s Political Points to give us ‘a campaign view from a college eye’. I found his post inspiring. I hope you will go read it.

Christopher Hedges wonders Could McCain Democrats Make The Difference? He relates to us that many Clinton supporters have said they will vote for McCain if Hillary isn’t the democratic nominee and compares them to Reagan democrats.

Still Stacy has a Lolobama for us to enjoy! She’s Still Stacy–Smarter Than The Average Blonde and calls her Lolobama OBAMAVELATION. If you frequent I Can Has Cheezburger? you’ll like this.

Over at 84rules, criticism of the 2005 “Gang of 14″ deal is under the microscope with The Base Is Wrong About The Gang Of 14, with the on-point reminder that if we Republicans lose the White House and don’t get back the Senate, the “nuclear” option will be used against us. (Remember the Coalition of the Chillin’? I was a charter member!)

Army wife (aka “Hooah Wife“) and real-life pal of mine Greta breaks out some video with Reason 7 gazillion to vote for John McCain, which she also posted at Louisiana Conservative. The video is funny, but it’s more realistic than I think the creators intended.

Another good friend, Shannon Nicki (she’s gonna kill me) from The Birthplace of the Process of Illogical Logic, mulls over the “Hussein” question with What’s in a name?, and decides that it’s probably better to just stick with referring to him as the more appropriate B.O. Bonus: Photoshoppy goodness!

Jefferson Poole at Blue Grass, Red State takes a thoughtful look at the Man in the Arena and is struck by its message, saying “the strength exhibited by extraordinary leaders of the past is demonstrated to be a necessity of the present for the health of the future.” He sees a bold and courageous leader as we’ve seen in years past with Teddy Roosevelt and Winston Churchill. That leader is Senator John McCain, and he is the right man for our time.

Economy and health care are two critical issues in this election, says Haydee Florez at America’s Best Choice. We Republicans may not talk about those issues as much as they do on the Left, but we should, as our candidate has the right solutions, which she outlines in her post.

Indiana University student J Will at The Wi11is says John McCain needs an internet video girl for guys like him, like Obama Girl and the others that he showcases in Annihilation Tuesday–a, shall we say, unconventional look at the online campaigns.

Over at Right Wing Nation, Rightwingprof speaks to my inner political wonk with some excellent analysis of polling data in Americans First, Americans Last, Americans Always. If he’s right (and I think he is), we’ll be in good shape in November.

MV08 blogroll-keeper Michael Schuyler of Reality Bytes deconstructs the opposition’s arguments with The Real Deal on the Tanker Deal, an issue that few really understand, while the opposition demagogues it to death. I’m glad he’s explained it, because all I’ve seen is left-wing attacks on McCain thus far. Knowledge is power!

James Carder, who writes at ELECTION 2008: Do We Need Change for the Sake of Change?, left the Republican Party in 2003 but he’s come home for John McCain, as I’m certain others will. James says Don’t Fault John McCain on Iraq - Just Be Thankful That He’s Still Around!, a piece that should appeal strongly to others who are disaffected with the Iraq war. Even though he’s opposed to the war, he understands that since we’re there, we need to finish the job the right way. James, as an independent, has the vote that all the candidates want–and he has chosen John McCain.

Right Wing Squadron’s Boomer asks about The New York Times - Why did they endorse John McCain when they had alleged “dirt” on him? I think that’s a question to which we probably know the real answer, but it’d be nice if there would ever be some honesty from the New York Times. If there were ever doubt that they’re all in for the Democrats, they’ve erased it.

The Old Grey Lady just keeps on trying to find something they can pin on McCain to ruin him. Our good friend, William Teach at The Pirate’s Cove uses a sports analogy to keep score on how the New York Times is doing in their quest to bring McCain down. First they were ‘just wondering’ if McCain had an affair. Then they got to wondering if McCain might not be eligible to run for President since he’d been born out of the country while his parents were serving in the military. Now the Grey Lady Is Just “Wondering” About McCain Getting Cancer Again. The Old Grey Lady keeps playing the same game and keeps losing.

Beth of MY Vast Right Wing Conspiracy is looking for a new church and is wondering if it matters what they believe and preach there. She says, I’ve found a church! and even though they preach against every thing she believes in that’s okay because she’s not responsible for what they believe. Sounds like twisted logic doesn’t it? Why, yes it does! She goes on to debunk the arguments of the many apologists of the hate-cult church that Barack Obama has chosen to attend for the past twenty years. You know … if it quacks like a duck ….. Go read her post. Its enlightening.

Beth at Blue Star Chronicles says that Obama Could Put an End to Destructive Racial Politics if He Had the Courage. She wonders why he doesn’t show the leadership and courage to speak openly and with conviction to his followers about their insistence that Obama should not be submitted to the same scrutiny as every other politician. That’s not the behavior of a leader. Its certainly not the behavior we expect to see in someone who aspires to be President of the United States.

-----------
More useful links...
Broad Side of the Barn
Purple People Vote
NH 4 McCain
Broad Side of the Barn Blog
Broad Store
McCain States
McCain Victory
Blogs 4 McCain
Web Inquiry
McCain Blogger Resources
Blogs for Victory
McCain Online Volunteer
SC for McCain
IA for McCain
Circle the Web
Rambling Web
Linked the Web